Northeastern

Co-op Program

Grow. Adapt. Thrive.

#iheartcoop

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The Co-op Program

• Northeastern’s signature co-op program is the largest and most

innovative in the country for over one hundred years (since 1909)

• Educational model:

Classes On-the-Job Classes On-the-job

• Students work full-time for 6 months

• Largest program in US

• Mutually benefits students and employers

Northeastern University ranked #1 for Best Career/Job Placement services –

three out of the last five years! (as of 2014)

Benefits for Co-op Employers

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Bright, motivated students eager to apply

classroom learning to workplace

Cost effective staffing resource

Hire as needed, for 6 months at a time,

year-round or seasonal

6 month timeline increases student

productivity

Pipeline for full-time hiring needs

Benefits for Co-op Students

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Integrate classroom and workplace learning

Explore careers and industries

Develop marketable skills for future jobs

Build professional network

How can co-ops reduce long-term

employee turnover?

Skills don’t fit with job requirements Poor fit between employee & Corporate Culture Inadequate employee training Non-competitive compensation Organizational policies

Skills are evaluated during the Co-op assignment The student is exposed to the Corporate Culture prior to accepting any offers of permanent employment after graduation Co-ops are trained while they work with your team Familiarity with the employer, the position, and future growth opportunities make compensation less important Fully exposed to organizational policies while on Co-op

The Major Causes of Turnover Benefits of The Co-op Program

The Company and the Student can make a more informed decision

Co-op Basics

• Co-op positions are full-time (no classes during co-op)

• 6 month work periods: (January – June) and (July - December)

• Typical salary range for Social Science majors: $12-15/hr

• Students have completed 3 full semesters of classes

before they are eligible for co-op

• Students may complete up to 3 co-ops

Typical cost to employer for 6 month co-op

Hourly pay Cost over six months (25 weeks – 35 hours week)

$12/hour $10,500

$15/hour $13,125

Other Co-op FACTS

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No fees for employer

Co-ops are hired as full-time temp workers,

NOT independent contractors

Benefits are at the discretion of the

employer

Considered full-time students (they maintain

their health insurance, etc.)

Posting a co-op doesn’t obligate you to hire

International students do not require an H1B

visa and there is no fee

Role of the Employer

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Identify needs

Prepare job description

Interview and select candidates

Develop learning goals with students

Provide relevant training/supervision

Offer feedback and evaluation

Contact faculty coordinator with

concerns

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1. Identify your

needs

2. Submit a job

description

3. Review résumés

4. Interview

candidates

5. Hire, train,

develop learning

goals, and oversee students

6. Evaluate your co-op

student

Role of the Employer

The Role of the Student

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Successful completion of Professional

Development for Co-op class

Apply to relevant positions

Interview and assess fit

Accept or decline offers in timely manner

Fulfill job expectations

Reflection

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1. Identify potential

career paths and

goals

2. Apply to relevant positions

3. Interview and assess

fit

4. Accept or decline offers in timely

manner

5. Fulfill job expectations

6. Reflection

Role of the Student

Role of your Co-op Faculty Partner

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DEDICATED co-op faculty member

Help define co-op role/needs

Liaise between employer and student

Teach students co-op/job search skills

Mediate co-op issues

Able to facilitate co-ops for wide range of

majors

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1. DEDICATED

co-op faculty

member

2. Help define

co-op role/needs

3. Liaise between employer

and student

4. Teach students

co-op/job search skills

5. Mediate co-op issues

6. Facilitate co-ops for

wide range of majors

Role of your Co-op Faculty Partner

Co-op Application Schedule

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Aug/Sept Post co-op positions

Mid

Oct Receive first-round resumes

Start interviewing students

Nov/Dec Continue interviewing

Make formal offers

Jan Students start co-op

Dec/Jan

Mid March

July

April/May

SPRING FALL

A sample of Co-op Employers for Sociology, Anthropology, and Human Services majors:

• AIDS Action Committee

• Barbara Lee Family Foundation/Political Office

• Big Sister Association

• Bottom Line

• Boston Scholar Athletes

• Boys and Girls Clubs of Boston

• Bridge International Academies

• City of Boston – Mayor’s Hotline

• City Year

• Clean Water Action

• Community Charter School of Cambridge

• Crotched Mountain Rehabilitation Center

• Doorway to Dreams Fund

• EF (Education First)

• Franciscan Children’s Hospital – Kennedy Day School

• GLAD (Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders)

• Global Rescue, LLC

• Good Sports

• Ikeda Center for Peace, Learning, and Dialogue

• Interise

• Italian Home for Children

• Justice Resource Institute

• LIFT – Roxbury

• May Institute

• National Center on Time and Learning

• New Profit, Inc.

• Pathfinder International

• Pine Street Inn

• Root Cause

• Rosie’s Place

• Socializing for Justice

• Transition House

• Triangle

• US Department of Education - Office of Civil Rights

• Vinfen

Employer Testimonial

“As a small national nonprofit, the coop program has been

critical in helping us expand our capacity in certain program

and administrative areas. The program provides a pipeline of

high-quality talent without the commitment of a salaried

employee with benefits. This helps us achieve our mission in a

cost-effective way. The coop program has brought us such

great talent, we just hired a prior coop as a full-time

employee.”

Joanna Smith-Ramani Director of Scale Strategies

Doorways to Dreams Fund

May, 2014

“At Bridge International Academies, we have had a fantastic experience

working with co-ops. We have about 20 fellowships at any given time that

we're typically looking for recent graduates to fill, but then we decided to

consider co-ops as well. At first, we were hesitant to hire fellows who were still

undergraduate students, but we have since totally changed our opinion. The

co-op students we've worked with have turned out to be highly pleasant,

productive members of our team.

Though the co-ops are only temporary hires, the fact that there is a steady

stream of students coming our way every 6 months means that we are easily

able to plan for the transitional period. After having worked with one group of

co-ops, it becomes easier to spot skill sets in the next pool of applicants that

would allow a co-op to thrive in our workplace. By allowing them to contribute

to BIA in a meaningful way, we ensure that the co-op experience is rewarding

for both the student and for us as the employer.”

Annie Pinnell Project Associate

Bridge International Academies

May, 2014

Employer Testimonial

“I have been involved with the co-op program since 2005 and I have had great success. The students are professional, punctual and mid-way thru their co-op they are well on their way to being considered a supervisor or lead. I would say I look forward to interviewing the potential new co-ops each semester—they energy, excitement and overall attitude makes for a great interview.

I still keep in touch with a few of my past co-ops and one specifically has achieved such great success with my company that I continue to rave about her. I have used my success in the co-op program as a discussion point.

Regarding the 6 months—we try to keep the past co-op for an additional month for training. We also try to have the co-op (who is) leaving (train) his/her replacement for a week. I also team up with the co-op in the decision making for their replacement. They know the job, they can relate to the student and it tends to continue the success.”

Christopher Davey Area General Manager

United Service Companies

May, 2014

Employer Testimonial

“As the person who oversees a fairly big program with only two full-time staff members, the 2 co-op students we work with each term have been essential to the continued growth, evolution, success, and sustainability of service-learning at Northeastern.

While initially I worried about the impact of turnover in 50% of our team every 6 months, I have witnessed the benefit of having new perspectives and input- it keeps our work fresh and relevant. Our co-op students have done everything from planning and running our biggest event, held every semester, to envisioning and reinventing the way our program runs down to our social media and newsletter communication strategies.

Working with students in this capacity is a truly beneficial learning experience- both for myself and for them, and I look forward to working with them for years to come.”

Becca Berkey Associate Director & Service-Learning Coordinator

Northeastern University Center of Community Service

June, 2014

Employer Testimonial

Helpful links

• Co-op Employer Handbook

• Link to post a co-op job with me (Please be sure to choose College of Social Sciences and Humanities, and Lisa Worsh)

• Lisa’s co-op Webpage

• NU’s co-op Webpage

Thank you for considering the opportunity to hire Northeastern University Students!

Lisa Worsh

Associate Cooperative Education Coordinator

Sociology, Anthropology, and Human Services

617-373-4773

L.Worsh@neu.edu